


Hold Me

by Vampiricalthorns



Series: Fluidity [2]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Angst, Asexuality Spectrum, Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, Smoking, breakdowns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-26
Updated: 2019-03-03
Packaged: 2019-10-17 05:59:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17554721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vampiricalthorns/pseuds/Vampiricalthorns
Summary: A series of mistakes- and Ed's up North when his first heat hits. Chaos ensues. Because how does one deal withheatswhen on the asexuality spectrum?[the fic is better than the summary- probably]





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the main part of the Fluidity Verse. Ed's asexual, they smoke, Roy's a hopeless romantic, you got the drill.
> 
> You should _probably_ read Whispers of Smoke before this one as it gives a _lot_ of probably important background information that might come in handy here, plus it's fluff. I mean, who doesn't like _fluff_?
> 
> I have not spoken English from birth, so please do whack me over the head with any mistakes you find.
> 
> Super-big thanks to **aluinihi** for beta-ing this mess and for dealing with my alchemy ramblings.

“You and your brother will go up to Briggs and assist Major General Armstrong and her men with transmutation work. You two are familiar with several fields of alchemy, so you are the best for the job. Train tickets have been paid for and you will stay in the dorms up there during your visit. Any questions, Fullmetal?”

“Nope. Go up North. Freeze like hell, do some transmutation work that probably will take no time at all and go home.” Ed felt like he was freezing already, with the way his hands shook as he grabbed the manila file from Roy’s hands. “Sounds pretty straight-forward.”

“There’s nothing dangerous on this mission, so do your very best to not get hurt,” Roy said, his expression softening. “I know you feel under the weather, but you don’t present any symptoms of illness so sadly I cannot let you be put on sick leave until it passes. This is the smallest and easiest job I could find but seeing as you will be staying with military personnel for the entirety of the mission, you should be fine.”

Ed stepped closer and bent over the desk. “Of course I’ll be fine. Maybe I got the same allergies as Al- you know he’s allergic to pollen and some other shit, right? It might just be that. The cold of Briggs should be enough to chase them away then.” He placed a small kiss to the General’s lips and pulled away. “See ya, bastard.”

He let himself be pulled into a couple more chaste kisses by Roy before leaving the office. Ed waved to the rest of the team and left.

It was a beautiful day; a completely normal day in June, with the Central-standard of blue sky, a couple of clouds and a mild breeze. Ed took the short way back to his and Al’s apartment, which sadly meant he would have to forgo the bakery that made delicious chocolate chip cookies but meant he could walk through one of the parks.

Considering it was already afternoon, there were several families out and about minding their own business. Couples strolling with their toddlers, school children playing tag and the occasional group of students pondering over their work during a picnic.

After the Promised Day, Ed had tried to slow down, to enjoy the smaller things. Though his brain still went as fast as ever, he had started watching other people interacting with life in their own unique way. Before, he had been so focused on trying to get Al’s body back, on finding a way to make up for his foolish mistakes, that he had never found the time to learn the valuable social skills his brother was so adept at.

They had known from birth that Ed and Al weren’t the same. Al was a beta and Ed, however, wasn’t sure. Some assumed he was an alpha — what with his temperament — while others assumed he would be a beta because that was what his brother had presented as.

It wasn’t uncommon for siblings to both be betas or both be omegas or a mix of the two. What was rare, was for there to be several alphas. Biology had determined it unlikely considering it would only turn to constant fighting.

He heard somebody yell to his right and Ed turned quickly, his hands already tensed in case he would have to clap. There was a pair of teenagers shouting at each other. Looked like an alpha match.

Ed knew he had seen them together before, together. Alphas usually got along, but it seemed that this couple had been broken with the constant thrumming of pheromones inching them closer to fight.

He knew that at least, his relationship with the General would not be ended like that. Or at least- that’s what he hoped for so desperately.

He decided to go past the convenience store close to their home and pick out some necessities. Mainly snacks for the long trip, because the both of them were chronic snackers, although Al more than Ed. Now that they had separate, unconnected bodies once again (though they both had a suspicion that their gates had a rather tight connection for some reason or another), Ed’s appetite had increased again to a more humane level than what it had been after taking a sharp decline during his time in Resembool. However, his sleeping problems had persisted, though now flipped to the opposite of what they had been _then_ , and he found himself falling asleep again in the most random of places.

 

* * *

 

“I’m home,” Ed called once he managed to unlock the door to their house. He stumbled into the kitchen with his shoes still on and managed to place the two paper bags down on the kitchen table without spilling _too_ much of it onto the table top and the floor.

“Study!” Al called back from upstairs and Ed shook his head with a small smile. Trust his brother to spend every waking moment in that room, researching Alkehestry. “We’ve got work to do. Come down here and we’ll make food while I tell you about it, will you?”

He heard the thuds of someone coming down the stairs before his younger brother appeared in the doorway, hair pushed back into an awkward and messy quiff. He saw Al glance over him, his lips tightening into a worried expression. “Are you okay, brother? You look paler than you did this morning.”

Ed waved dismissively and placed a pack of sugar into one of the cupboards. “I’m fine, Al, don’t you worry about me. It’s like you said a couple days ago- maybe I’m just having some freaky allergic reaction to the pollen outside.”

“If you say so, Brother,” Al said as he joined Ed in putting away the groceries, sounding like he didn’t quite believe it _._ “Now, you said something about work, did you not?”

“Oh yeah, the bastard is sending us up to Briggs. General Armstrong and the rest of the people up there need some help with alchemy shit. We’re apparently the best fit for the task.” Ed rolled his eyes, casting a glance in Al’s direction that said very loudly how he felt about leaving Central. “I don’t know much more than that, but we need to take the train tomorrow at nine. That should be fine.”

“Maybe then we’ll figure if you’re allergic then. I can’t imagine too many rose bushes grow up in the North. Even if it’s summer, the weather up there isn’t too warm.” Al shuddered. “Can you imagine living up there all year, especially you, Brother? Having automail up there must be hard.”

“I’m sure they do just fine. They have that fancy cold-resistant one, remember?”

Ed was about to continue on about the automail when suddenly the world jolted to the side. He grabbed the kitchen counter and blinked until the sudden dizziness vanished. A cold shiver ran down his spine and he stared at his mismatched hands waiting for the fog in his brain to clear.

“Brother? Are you okay?”

Al’s voice broke through his hazy mind and he mentally kicked himself into action enough to look up at his brother and flash a half-smile. “I think I turned around too quickly. Just a bit dizzy.”

Al looked like he didn’t believe it any more than he had just a couple minutes prior. “If you feel bad, brother, I don’t think you should go up to Briggs. Even if it’s just a head cold, it might be good for you to just rest. You’ve been working hard lately, and you’ve been under a lot of stress- I’m sure the General would understand.”

“I told ya, Al. I’m all good. See? Peachy.” Ed smiled wider and grabbed the shampoo from the table. “I’ll go put this in the bathroom and take a shower.” He glanced at the clock next to the doorway. “It’s about dinner time. Whatcha say to making some pasta or something?”

With a hummed response of approval from Al, Ed grabbed all the things that belonged on the upper floor of their house. He was just through the door to the bathroom when another of the shivers hit him, this time forcing him to lean against the wall while the dizziness rocked his body.

Once the feeling passed, Ed got up and stared in the mirror. The person who stared back at him- Al had been _right_. It was a pale and abused version of his usual tan self. The bags under his eyes seemed darker and more prominent than earlier in the week. He turned away and didn’t look at the mirror again as he turned on the shower water and stepped under it.

 

* * *

 

“Brother, are you quite sure you’re okay enough to be doing this work?” Al asked, and Ed scoffed at his brother’s worry. He fixed a small glare at him and took a bite of a cookie to prove his point. “You shouldn’t worry so much, Al. You might get premature wrinkles.”

“Yeah because you don’t worry at _all_ , brother,” Al retorted. “Have you talked to General Mustang since you got the information about the trip. Have you told him that you feel bad?”

“Of course I did. He can see through my lies easily. Stupid alphas, they know too much.”

Al frowned. “You don’t seem too happy with the fact that he’s an alpha, brother. Are you scared he’ll treat you differently because you haven’t presented yet?”

“How do you know I haven’t, Al?” Ed hissed.

Al stared at him. “I mean- you haven’t told me anything. You can have presented for all I know, or you’re just a beta like me. Of course, I can’t be sure of anything.”

“No you can’t, so drop it.”

 

* * *

 

Ed sighed as he gripped his pen in a tighter hold and stared down at the array he was drawing. It was quite complex; combining a lot of elements in this fashion was always risky, and for it to do exactly as they wished… well, it would take some time and testing.

“You got anywhere with your part, Al?” He asked, fighting to keep the tremor out of his voice. His self-control seemed to have betrayed him and Al looked up, with a small splotch of ink decorating his left cheek and his eyebrows tightly furrowed.

“I’m almost done with this one, but can you come here and help me confirm this one line? I think I might’ve misplaced it.”

Ed capped his pen and stood, quickly making an attempt in straightening out the creases in his shirt. Ultimately failing, he gave up and walked around the table before bending over one of Al’s shoulders. “Which one?”

Al pointed with his finger to one of the lines crossing one of the many triangles. “I think it should be placed along here-” he traced one of the triangle’s sides, “and stop at the start of this circle. What do you think?”

Ed hummed and thought for a moment. “No, I think it’s okay where it is.”

He froze and closed his eyes as the shivers that had been bothering him for the past week decided to appear again, though this time, they didn’t stop after a few seconds. He let out a small groan of pain as his veins started to feel like someone was pouring molten steel through them.

Al turned around and in a second, he was on his feet, grabbing Ed by the shoulders. “Brother! Are you okay?”

“I’m … fine, Al. D-don’t worry about me.” Ed whispered. The steel in his veins was making him feel hot, hot- _melting_. He felt sweat run down his temple and his legs buckled.

Through the haze, he felt Al laying him down on the floor on his side. “Brother! What’s happening?!”

But Ed couldn’t reply, couldn’t _think_ \- he was drowning, thoughts swimming mindlessly through his mind and he had half a mind to grasp at one of them being at least a _bit_ rational. Anything that could help him suss out exactly what the fuck was going on at the moment. “I… shit, Al. _Shitshitshitshit_ , Al-”

But looking at his brother through the waves of heat and dizziness washing over him, Ed saw his brother sniffing the air. A look of horror crossed the face of the younger Elric. “Brother, _no_. Just stay there, I’ll get General Armstrong to call General Mustang! I can’t believe that you would-”

Ed closed his eyes; the room spinning didn’t exactly help the condition he was in. From somewhere on his … right, he heard Al trying desperately to get through to General Armstrong.

Finally, the dizziness left him and Ed managed to sit up against the side of the desk Al’s papers were on. Although his physical dizziness had been resolved, his mind felt like it had been caught in a maelstrom. “I just … I’m an omega? Roy’s gonna fucking kill me. The _military’s_ gonna fucking kill me when they find out.”

Al crouched in front of him. “No, they won’t. I’m sure it will all work ou- _Brother_!”

Ed groaned softly as the waves of heat hit again, stronger and stronger and- and then he shut his eyes, unable to bear it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never realise how much of a relief it is to just add a chapter instead of posting an entirely new fic (so much less work, honestly). It might take some more time before the next chapter is up, considering I haven't even _started_ writing it yet and I'm ... drowned in coursework at the present moment. I'll see what I can get done. in the meantime, enjoy the chapter!
> 
> _as always, beta'ed by **aluinihi**_

Roy, in all honesty, couldn’t say he was surprised when he picked up the phone and heard Major General Armstrong’s voice at the other side. After all, he’d just sent the Fullmetal Alchemist up to North City just a couple days earlier, and Edward wasn’t _exactly_ known for being pliant and avoiding trouble at all costs. He twirled his pen between his fingers as he greeted, “General Armstrong. What a pleasure. How are you?”

“I’m fine. The situation up here at Briggs, however, would have been better if you wouldn’t be so careless.” _What on earth was she talking about?_ “Edward Elric hit his heat today, from what his brother told me after running into my office looking like he was delivering the news of Drachma declaring war.”

Roy choked on his coffee. “Fullmetal did _what_ now?”

“You should be responsible for a mission to stay clear of the heat cycle or have the omega on suppressants.  What were you _thinking_ , General?”

“I- yes, of course. It seems I did indeed act carelessly. I am his commanding officer after all.”

Roy contemplated for a minute. He needed to find a way to keep the secret from getting out until he was up there with Edward. “Don’t let this get out to more people than necessary. I’m sure you understand. This is a highly sensitive topic.”

He put the receiver on the cradle and covered his face with his hands for a moment. What a mess. Roy tried to calm the thoughts flashing through his brain. _His subordinate- his boyfriend, was a day away by train and further by foot and Roy had sent him out under the impression that his now oh-so-obvious signs of heat were just allergies or a head cold. And now he had put Ed in danger for other alphas to scent him and what if- what if something bad happened without Roy being there to protect him?_

_“_ Sir? May I ask what has just happened?” Riza asked, her voice as calm and professional as ever. She placed a new stack of paperwork on his desk and Roy couldn’t make himself look at it through the gaps of his fingers. It was too much happening at once. Emotions rolled like waves beneath the surface. Riza spoke again. “You seem … surprised.”

“You’ll have to come with me on a small trip up north. Major General Armstrong has requested my assistance,” Roy mumbled into the palms of his hands. He finally untangled his fingers and made another grab for his mug filled with scalding hot coffee. Miscalculating the length, his fingers brushed past the frail porcelain with just enough force for it to fall on its side, staining the papers underneath a sickly shade of brown.

_Dammit, I just can’t believe I didn’t notice how Ed showed the symptoms of an upcoming heat and now Ed’s presented as an omega but I’m not there to either protect him or make him comfortable and I need to get up there and make sure that everything’s okay but now I spilt my coffee and dammit- dammit- dammit I can’t deal with all of this.”_

Roy stared at the spilt coffee as if time had frozen. In a way, it felt like he was staring down at the scene from above, watching himself reach out for the tipped cup with an expression of shock. Then, the tips of his fingers burnt, and he realised that he had managed to dip his bare fingers straight into the warm liquid. _Fire._

And as if a firework had set off inside his chest, Roy pulled back from the spilt drink and let a choked gasp past his lips. He was trying his best to remain calm; to show that he was the strong alpha everyone saw him as- cocky, self-assured. Not the broken war hero who had been ignorant, but _noticed_ how his boyfriend hadn’t felt well but still sent him a day away up to the coldest and harshest conditions in the entire fucking _country_.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. Riza could probably feel the visible tightening in his posture, could probably see how his hands were shaking, how his breathing had sped up a considerable amount. “Sir? You were saying something about going up North?”

Roy swallowed, but couldn’t seem to get his mouth to cooperate with his brain. There was too much- too much guilt, too much worry, too much _anger_ , directed at himself, because _he_ should have kept a better eye on everything, should have looked just the bit closer, should have seen all the signs of an oncoming heat, should have granted Ed some sick days and maybe taken some too just to make sure that his boyfriend was okay. Because he _cared_ and _loved_ and it was scary because love was fragile and Roy didn’t want to break Ed’s heart, nor have his heart broken again and he would do anything to avoid it.

“Sir? Permission to speak freely?”

She wanted to take care of him and be gentle and listen to him if he granted the permission. Usually, he would deny it, swallow the anxiety, swallow the memories and deal with them later. But now- now that it affected another person whom he loved so dearly…

“Permission granted, Lieutenant.”

“What happened? Did Edward mess up something that requires your assistance? Does it have something to do with fire alchemy and your knowledge of it?” She asked carefully. She was being very general about the topic, giving him an opportunity to reply as he pleased. She removed her handkerchief from a uniform pocket and dabbed on the coffee spots. It of course, barely did anything, if nothing at all, but it was movement, and Roy could focus on movement. Movement was good.

“That was General Armstrong. She called and- well. It turns out Fullmetal has just presented. As an omega. She was quite angry about how I so to speak ‘was lazy and irresponsible for letting a work assignment interfere with an omega that wasn’t on heat suppressants’. Long story short I made a mistake and now I need to find some way to get up to Briggs and explain the situation to my superiors and defend the fact that _I_ need to be the one to be there because I’m the sole responsible person for this and at this point Edward would likely never want to see my face again because I’m the worst boyfr-”

He stopped and looked down at his hands, breath shallow.

“Boyfriend, sir? You mean, you and Edward?” Riza’s voice was calm; collected; quiet. “And he’s in heat? Then you should get up to Briggs as quickly as possible.”

“I already told you so,” Roy muttered. He pushed himself out of his chair, swallowed his guilt; his fear; his _emotions_ before walking over to where his jacket hung. He picked it off the hook and felt the outside of the pocket for a moment, checking for the matches and a cigarette pack Ed had stuffed into it a week earlier with a knowing smile. He was seriously gonna need a smoke after all of this. “It’s not the only issue. I’ll tell you about it on the train. Meet me there at five. We’re taking the overnight one.”

“As you say, sir.”

 

* * *

 

“Sir?”

“You have my permission to speak freely, lieutenant. We’re not currently at work, but rather friends on our way up to Briggs.”

She folded her hands on her lap and looked out of the window. “Of course. Is there something you wanted to talk about?”

Roy sighed. His hands were shaking, he noticed absently, and so he resorted to bringing out the fountain pen he kept on his person at all times along with a small sketchbook (as an alchemist you could never know when a transmutation circle would come in handy. He had made quite a few in the book some time ago, ready for use). “As I said, me and Edward- we’ve been getting close recently. Romantically. We were aware of the risks involved, considering he hadn’t yet at that time presented. The both of us hoped that he would follow in his brother’s footsteps and present as a beta, as to avoid complicating the situation further. As you surely know- Al presented while he was recovering in Resembool.”

Riza nodded. “Yes, I remember the letter they sent us. Edward truly has horrible handwriting, doesn’t he?”

“Of course. At least it is more legible than it was when he first joined the military. By that time he had only been writing for about three or four months considering he couldn’t use his dominant hand anymore. Automail doesn’t allow for fine enough motor control to write. Then again, it’s been about six years, so it has visibly improved. Now it’s at least _readable_ if Fullmetal takes his time writing it.”

Roy smiled sadly at the memories that surfaced. He had kept the original copy of Edward’s first report and other noteworthy ones through the years and typed them up for hand-in. Besides, it wasn’t like anybody but him and Alphonse had been able to figure out what the reports had actually said.

He shook his head. “But back to the point. At the beginning of our relationship, Edward was quite hesitant because he was … the best word might be scared. And now that Ed’s presented as an omega, it may cause further complications. He doesn’t feel sexual attraction, or at least not a lot of it, which causes him quite a bit of distress on a good day and makes me wonder how he’s handling the heat, if at all.”

Roy stared down at the fountain pen in his hand. It was a nice pen. Simple black hard rubber with sturdy steel engravings. If his memory didn’t fail him, it had been a gift from his foster mom, Madame Christmas, when he had been promoted to General. He had once mentioned that drawing transmutation circles on the go was terribly hard to do, especially since he would need something to draw with, whether it was chalk, dirt or blood. Chalk was messy and would just stain the pockets of his uniform and besides, could easily break. Dirt was unpredictable at best and relied heavily on weather and temperature. Blood- well that one was obvious in itself.

Ed was probably in the room he had been assigned now, Roy realised with a start. He could clearly imagine it- the mental images flashing before his eyes. Al doing his best to take care of his brother as he called out for Roy to help him, for Roy to stay close to him. A heat had the tendency to make omegas lose their logical reasoning. Ed was probably at this point convinced that Roy had left him, that he had sent him away because he was tired, because he had found another omega…

Roy’s jaw clenched. _No,_ he told himself firmly. _He hadn’t left. He had miscalculated. He had made an honest mistake. And besides, they hadn’t known that Ed would present at this time or even go into heat. He hadn’t even emitted any pheromones while Roy had been around him._

“Sir?”

Riza was looking intently at him, and Roy realised that he must have started staring off into space once again. It had happened a lot the last couple days. “I’m sure it will be alright, sir. After all, once you’re there, I can go talk to General Armstrong while you go see Edward. That might be the best for everyone.”

Roy nodded and turned his head to look out of the window. It hadn’t yet turned completely dark, what with it being June and all, but it had begun to dim and with the speed of the train, the details of the forest outside turned murky. He exhaled softly closed his eyes, with his hands itching to run his fingers through soft golden locks and chest aching with the absence of Edward.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come talk to me on tumblr @vampiricalthorns


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while. I never really got anywhere with this chapter and it was just sitting open like _hello there i am here to torment you_ whenever I opened word to work on something else. But at last, it's here. As always, huge thanks to **aluinihi** for beta'ing this actual mess.
> 
> all remaining mistakes are likely my own because i'm dumb

Roy tried his honest-to-a-non-existent-god best to school his expression into something that was supposed to resemble ‘cool indifference’. Judging by, however, the raised eyebrow from first Riza and then Olivier Armstrong, it was clear that his attempt had been in little more than vain.

They had arrived at Briggs early in the frigid morning (Roy had gotten the distinct impression that the North had _not_ listened to the rest of Amestris’ plea for summertime) with the two of them having gotten little, if any sleep, on the train ride that had taken them here. He hadn’t had an opportunity to smoke since before they had boarded the train from Central Station. It hadn’t exactly been too appealing to be standing on one of the small platforms in between the train carriages as the train headed in the direction of a steadily declining temperature.

The lack of nicotine in his system combined with the adrenaline and hormones bouncing through his systems─

Roy _liked_ to think that one of his better qualities was patience, but now─ _now_ the thought of waiting even a moment longer when he was already basically _there,_ was so _close,_ was _unbearable_. And even now, when they were walking down one of the many hallways of Fort Briggs, Roy felt like he was just getting farther and farther away from the person he had hurriedly travelled here to meet.

All the hallways in Briggs were the same and while it satisfied his brain’s ingrained need for order and similarity it felt too neutral, too little to remind of Ed with impersonal light grey and stone tiled flooring. No windows. Roy had never really been one to feel claustrophobic. But here, in this unknown steel maze, he felt lost.

After what seemed like ages, Riza pointed to a door to their right marked with the number ‘ _381_ ’ in brass, and, taped to the wall beside it, a paper note that read: _Edward and Alphonse Elric._

“Should I stay with you, sir, or would you prefer if I report to General Armstrong and start cleaning up the situation?” Riza asked though it was only formality. She knew as well as Roy did that it would be smart to have another beta in the room apart from Alphonse, at least until the situation was under control.

Roy looked down at his hands, taking in how his fists had clenched. They had discussed this on the train, in brief, hushed conversation as the sky had slowly bruised into early morning outside the (dis)comfort of the train carriage.

“Stay by my side for a few minutes, read the situation. Then you will go report to General and explain to her what happened. Don’t give her more information than strictly necessary. I’m not quite sure as to how it will pan out here, so having an extra pair of hands might be an advantage,” Roy said, clearing his throat and swallowing before raising one of his hands to knock on the door.

A couple seconds later, Roy heard the lock in the door turn and it swung outwards, nearly hitting him. He took two surprised steps back to avoid being decked by the offending object and looked at Alphonse.

He looked exhausted, Roy realised. It looked like (yet again) the world had collapsed onto his now actual human shoulders and not given him a single break to eat, drink or sleep. The shade of his skin had taken on a greyish-green tinge suggesting utter exhaustion and his face looked like it had adopted a permanently pained expression. It was concerning how quickly the Elric brothers managed to make one expression seem like it had been their only one for ages when in reality, it had been a day or two.

 “Come in, quickly. I don’t want Brother’s pheromones to fill the entire corridor. It’s only General Armstrong and Major Miles that know Brother’s an omega and in heat. There are more alphas here, and I don’t want them running the door down.”

Roy coughed. “I understand, Alphonse. It would indeed be better if other alphas could stay away from my o─ from Edward.”

He mentally kicked himself. Calling Edward his omega when they had barely been together for six months and weren’t mated─ that was just _wrong_. Besides, it was entirely possible that Ed wouldn’t even want to ever get mated. And if that was the case─

Then would Ed ever really be his?

Because that was just the thing, wasn’t it? The thing that had been creating the destructive waves underneath the surface for the last two days. The horrible _insecurity_ that he’s just another alpha out to get some poor person to be submissive to them.

Roy isn’t like that.

He _isn’t_.

Roy opened his eyes again and looked around the dimly lit room. It looked like any other military dorm, although one equipped for the colder weather. It seemed that the pile of blankets on the two beds in the room were thicker. If he wasn’t entirely wrong, Roy had picked up something from General Armstrong that the Elrics had been placed in some of the better dorms considering how they were there to help out rather than working here for a longer duration of time.

And, speaking of blankets─

He gasped softly, the faint sound echoing around the room. On one of the beds, dressed only in what Roy recognised as one of _his_ oversized shirts and underwear, was Ed, him too looking like the world had decided to place all of its mass on top of this frail boy.

“Ed,” he breathed. The alpha part of his brain was just about ready to command his body to jump Ed, but the rational part restrained it, repeating, _he’s not in the mindset to consent and you know that if he had any of his usually impeccable logical reasoning he wouldn’t want any of this._

Invisible button by invisible button, Roy slowly freed himself of the outside military coat he usually donned when going on missions as well as the uniform jacket. A hand was placed at his shoulder and Roy turned back to look at Riza, who was staring back at him with a determined look.

He was shaking, he realised. Badly.

“I will be just down the hall speaking with General Armstrong. Would you prefer if I come back to this room, or would it be more practical to try to get accommodation in a bigger room?”

The scent in the air was so thick and it was doing an amazing job at clogging up everything going into Roy’s brain. It took him a second to hear her, then another second to process, then … too long thinking of how to reply.

“See if it is possible for the four of us to be moved to a different accommodation where there is enough space for all four of us,” Roy said absently. “I think it would be smart for us to all be in close vicinity of each other– if only to keep Edward more comfortable.”

“Of course, sir,” Riza said, every word as professional and sharp as her salute as she snapped her heels together before leaving the room, gently closing the door behind her.

Al coughed. “I would prefer to not leave the room, sir. Brother is quite upset, naturally. He managed to tell me some about his─ preferences. And feelings, for that matter. It’s not that I don’t trust you, because you’re one of the best things to ever happen to my brother, but you’re an alpha, and he’s an omega and your brain isn’t exactly in the best mindset to be careful and logical.”

“I was going to ask you to stay, in the hope that it might make Edward more comfortable.”

Thinking was getting hard, Roy realised with a start. Ed had noticed him now, it seemed. He had sat up and was staring at Roy as if Roy was a fever dream.

He spread his arms wide and took a couple of tentative steps towards the bed. “Edward?”

Ed’s eyes widened, and he let out a sound that sounded dangerously close to a desperate sob before he was out of the bed on wobbly, unmatching feet that probably hadn’t carried any weight for a couple of days and throwing himself in the direction of Roy.

Roy quickly stepped forward and caught Ed before he was caught off balance and they both crashed to the floor. Al quickly stepped forward and crouched next to them, a worried, but admittedly, amused expression marring his exhausted face. “Are you okay, sir? Brother?”

“I’m fine,” Roy said slowly as he managed to shove the thoughts through his muddled brain towards the centre responsible for speech. “I think I managed to catch most of the impact for us, although I think Ed might end up with a nasty bruise on his knee at a later date.”

“Do you need any help to get up?” Al asked, offering out his arms to pick up Ed (who was unresponsive to all but looking intently at Roy as if he was a gift from the Gods). Roy managed to wrangle his limbs around enough so that he could partially help Ed get up with the additional help of Al.

“Ouch,” Ed mumbled softly, looking at the floor like it had personally offended him. Then a second later, his expression split into something that Roy couldn’t completely define as a singular emotion. “Roy?”

“I’m here, love,” Roy said, voice so full of emotion and affection that it had burnt his throat to say those three simple words. “I’m here now.”

Time for attempt number two.

He pulled Ed from the hold of Alphonse and gently led him towards the bed Ed had been sitting on. Ed, who normally didn’t show much affection, immediately climbed into his lap and buried his face into Roy’s (now rumpled and slightly dusty) dress shirt.

“It was horrible, so horrible. I thought you’d left, I thought you’d finally realised how messed up I am and how horrible it is to be together with a bratty asexual omega like half your age,” Ed mumbled into his chest. Roy’s heart clenched a bit at that.

He pulled Ed closer, if possible and leant down to press a gentle kiss against the messy nest that was currently Ed’s hair. “I would never leave you for such a meaningless reason. You are the reason I chose you─  you are you and it’s the _you_ I’m in love with and I couldn’t care less if you act like a brat as long as you still love me and you being _asexual_ couldn’t be any _less_ important.”

He took a moment to reconsider. “Of course─ it is important and I respect it fully. But it wouldn’t ever be my deciding factor to _ever_ leave you for someone else, okay?”

Something like a cough left Ed’s throat and pushed against Roy’s chest, and another─ and a gasp, and a shudder and─

Something warm and wet started to slowly soak through the fabric.

His brain was going to _explode_.

“Edward? Love? Are you okay?”

“It _hurts_ ,” Ed whispered. “It hurts and is uncomfortable. I want it to stop. I never wished for this.”

“What hurts, love?” Roy asked, voice more than a little concerned. “Did you hurt something when you fell?”

“It feels like I’m crawling in my skin. This sensation, it’s so horrible. It’s messing with my head ‘n’ I don’t like it. Make it stop, Roy, please.”

And his voice was so fucking weak and full of hurt and discomfort and Roy felt with him; felt all the mental anguish that Ed was likely feeling at the moment. He could basically taste Ed’s emotions on the pheromones that were filling the room and affecting him like opium smoke.

“There’s nothing really I can do, darling,” Roy whispered, voice cracking and filled with badly concealed worry. _Betrayal_. He did, however, reach a hand up to gently press against the scent glands beneath Ed’s ears. Ed hissed at the initial contact, but it soon turned into a sound of content.

They sat like that for a while, Roy gently massaging the spots with one hand, the other one wrapped around Ed to keep him steady while Ed nuzzled into his neck.

This was different, Roy realised. Ed wasn’t big on the touching thing and most definitely while _another person was in the room_. However, Ed’s heat had left him no logical reasoning whatsoever, and the other person also happened to be _Al_ , who had grabbed a book and was sitting on one of the rickety wooden chairs by the desks.

“You should be thankful he’s like this, sir.”

Roy’s head snapped up as quickly as his body would allow without his body rustling Ed awake. “Pardon?”

Al sighed, a thoughtful look setting onto his face as he placed a bookmark into the book before closing it and placing it on the desk. He was quiet for a moment as he tried to find the words that would best get across what he meant. “Brother doesn’t tell anyone how he feels. About anything. You know that. He’s very secretive.”

“So I’ve noticed,” Roy said with a look at the younger Elric. “Was there any particular direction you wanted to go with …?”

“Not really. I think that you’re lucky. And that you deserve this. Because when Brother loves something, he loves it so intensely that he’ll pour his heart, soul and probably body into it. You see how great his love for alchemy is. It’s the same with you. I don’t think he’s ever told you this, but he really, really, _really_ loves you.”

Roy sighed before smiling softly down at the top of Ed’s head. “I know Alphonse. He tells me every time he looks at me. Maybe not with words─ he’s never really been the best at expressing anything with words─ but it shows in his posture and eyes and those smiles he has when he thinks I’m not looking.”

“You’re quite perceptive, General, if you’ve noticed all this,” Al said as he stood up, dusted off the imaginary dust from his pants and stretched in a way that had Roy hearing the cracking of his spine from _meters_ away.

“I didn’t. Hawkeye told me. If anything, half of the so-called ‘brilliant and perceptive’ stuff I say is usually a mix of what I’ve picked up from my team and Edward.” He paused. “Are you going anywhere?”

Al sent him a tired smile. “I’d imagine it might be beneficial for all of us to have something to eat and drink. It’s─” he pulled up his pocket watch and looked at it thoughtfully. “ ─a bit past ten so a late breakfast should be in order. I’ll try to be quick, but if you try _anything with my brother that will make him uncomfortable in the slightest,_ some god out there better have you in their good graces or─”

Roy swallowed. “Understood.”

Alphonse Elric was _terrifying_.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the end,,, for a while. I have more ideas for it but I've kinda,,, gone tired of this particular verse after spending so long on writing it (so many hours went into this). Everyone who's still reading this: thank you! It's been a ride and I hope you enjoyed it.
> 
> beta-read by **aluinihi**

Roy woke up curled around Ed. The last couple of days had been weird, filled with equal amounts of talking about whatever topic Ed’s brain managed to focus on for more than two seconds at a time and Ed sitting on his lap curled up against his chest.

The heat hadn’t just affected the two of them, though. Al and Riza, who had stayed with them more or less around the clock for five days, had also had their share of the efforts. Al’s expression had gone through some interesting changes that week, from incurable exhaustion to content and back to incurable exhaustion. Riza hadn’t been much better off.

Roy felt the same, just that in his case, it had all been mushed together into one indecipherable mess. It had, though, admittedly, been nice to have five days where he was ‘unable’ to do any paperwork and could spend the day taking care of his omeg─ _no_ , not yet.

Roy wrapped his arm tighter around Ed’s frame and pulled him flush against his chest. His hair smelled good ─ Ed had let Roy wash it a couple of days prior by placing him on the en-suite bathroom floor wearing boxers and a tank top, before gently dousing him with water and washing away days of grime and sweat.

It had been a compromise considering the fact that a) they didn’t have a proper bathtub at their disposal and b) Ed was still not completely back to his usual mindset, and lastly, c) Al was terrifyingly protective of Ed and still seemed to not completely trust Roy to not advance on Ed against his complete and enthusiastic consent.

The room around Roy was dark, which told him nothing about what time it actually was. The majority of the rooms in Fort Briggs did not have windows, nor was the weather ever really stable enough to reliably tell the time. A brief wonder about whether or not _anyone_ up at Briggs even got _any_ vitamin D flashed through his mind, but he quickly pushed it away.

Although he could see nothing, the small room they had gotten had become known to Roy like the back of his hand, and he was fairly confident that if he had to, he could probably manoeuvre through it with little to no trouble. His few weeks as a completely blind man had taught him how to identify his surroundings without the aid of his vision.

In the bunk bed that rested against one of the walls, Al and Riza were still sleeping soundly. Riza on the bottom bunk, ready to stand up alert at the blink of an eye in case of an intruder and Al on the top bunk, occasional snores coming from him.

If Al slept _anything_ like Ed did, Roy had no trouble picturing him. Blankets pulled up over him to his ears to block out the permanent chill of the Briggs Fort, mouth wide open and hair tousled into what might as well be described as a bird’s nest.

In his arms, Ed shifted and turned around before burying his face in Roy’s chest with a disgruntled hum that gave away the fact that the younger alchemist was finally (maybe) waking up. Roy smiled and ran the fingers of his right hand through the saffron-coloured strands of hair, sighing contently when Ed let out a puff of air towards his chest that was very clearly a-still-unconscious reaction to what Roy was doing.

Roy reached one hand over to the side of his bed where a chair was standing serving as a temporary bedside table. He grabbed one of his flame gloves as well as his watch. Pulling the glove on with some difficulty, he managed to snap his fingers quietly enough so that only the tiniest of flames appeared at the tip of his fingers, allowing him to read the time on his pocket watch.

_08.31 am._

Fuck.

He quickly extinguished the flames and got out of bed to turn on the lights. They had agreed around noon the day before that Ed’s heat was basically over by now and that the only thing actually remaining was to let him rest sufficiently to gain back the energy he had exerted.

The bright, fluorescence of the ceiling lights sent small sparks of pain from his eyes into his head and he hissed, resting one of his hands in front of his eyes until the brightness had died down to a more acceptable level.

When Roy looked up, Riza was already sitting and pulling on her boots like the disciplined soldier she was. She looked up and gave him a small smile. “Morning, sir.”

“Good morning, Lieutenant,” Roy answered smoothly as he walked back over to the bed he shared with Ed, seeing him curled up clutching the pillow he had fallen asleep on like it was some kind of replacement for Roy.

He sighed. “The Elric brothers seem to have another trait in common apart from their genius and stubbornness; they’re impossible to wake up.”

“You might be right about that, sir, but don’t forget that they can also be easily tempted by the prospect of caffeine,” Riza said mildly as she stood and promptly dragged all the blankets down from Al’s bed, earning a delayed, but unhappy growl from the younger brother.

“Harsh.”

Riza snorted. “If it works, it works.”

Roy sat down on the bed again, only now realising that he had sprinted across the frigid concrete floor barefoot. Pins and needles were digging into the soles of his feet, but he paid it little mind as he moved over and sighed before roughly shaking Ed to wake him up.

Ed sat up as if he had been electrocuted. “Wha─?”

“Good morning, Edward. We’re currently a bit behind schedule, as none of us had the foresight to place an alarm. If you’re not quick, you won’t get to shower and grab food before you and your brother’s meeting with General Armstrong that is in─” Roy checked his pocket watch again. “─twenty-six minutes.”

Al sat up when he heard that and almost slammed his head against the ceiling that rested low over the bunk bed. “Oh _no_.”

Roy looked at Riza with an exasperated look as the two Elrics got out of bed and dressed at frankly _inhuman_ speeds. Well─ Ed disappeared into the bathroom, the sound of a metal foot against the door as he kicked it closed and Al was tugging a white tank top over his head before half-way buttoning up his shirt.

“In a particular rush for anything, Alphonse?” Roy asked dryly as he watched Al fumble with the buttons. “I’d recommend coffee. You seem to be deprived.”

Al glared up at him under the golden bird’s nest. He truly was not the same cheery person Roy usually met after coffee, huh. “Very funny, General.”

Roy pointedly looked away while Riza got dressed in one of the corners and instead occupied himself with pulling on his boots and straightening his shirt before tucking the tails into his pants.

The sound of water from the bathroom turned off and thirty seconds later, Ed stormed out, towel and shirt tucked in under one of his arms as he clapped and touched one hand to his hair, which instantly dried.

“Impressive, Fullmetal. I see you learnt how to _not_ use a towel, but instead, use horribly complicated alchemy to do the exact same thing.”

“Shuddup,” Ed grumbled as Al disappeared into the bathroom. “’s faster anyway. What’s your business about it anyway?”

Roy walked over and helped Ed brush his hair back into his trademark braid as the man himself attempted to button up his uniform shirt. “Not much. I find it fascinating how you can think up an array in seconds to perform the task of something as mundane as a towel. And how you even think about doing such a task with the help of alchemy in the first place.”

Roy could feel Ed’s jitteriness through the way he was bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet as he tugged on the uniform jacket and closed it unusually quickly for someone with a metal hand lacking most of the finer motor skills required for buttoning.

Roy wondered how much of it was due to a lack of caffeine, lack of nicotine or the fact that he had energy for the first time in literally days.

“I’m special.”

Roy pressed a kiss to the back of Ed’s head as he tied off the plait. “That, my dear, you are.”

“Gross,” Al declared from behind him. “Absolutely horrifyingly gross.”

Ed turned around and grinned at Al. “Ready to go raid the mess hall for breakfast and coffee?”

They left almost instantly after that ─ with the exception of Ed moving back away from the door to tug Roy down for a kiss that lasted for what felt like _seasons_ , although it was more likely that it all that just lasted for a split second.

 

* * *

 

With heats, the aftermath comes with a lot of cleaning to be done. Roy had sent out Riza thirty minutes ago to get them the train tickets back to Central scheduled for that evening.

Roy’s almost certain that he’s wishing himself an early death by taking two overnight trains in the same week.

He moved all of their belongings to one end of the room and had resigned himself to stripping the room bare before washing it.

After years and years in the military, hell after fighting and surviving a pointless _war_ , Roy’s brain had developed a sick sort of need and satisfaction for order and cleanliness. Removing all traces of Ed’s scent from the beds, bedding and furniture with soap and water was _soothing_ in only the way cleaning could be.

“Sir? I have the tickets you requested.”

Roy looked up to see Riza standing in the doorway, holding an envelope and a paper bag. “Thank you, lieutenant. That was very nice of you.”

She stepped inside the door and closed it behind her, holding out a hand that was clutching a brown paper bag. “It’s breakfast from the mess hall. As for the train, it is scheduled to leave at fifteen minutes past eight this evening and is expected to arrive around nine am tomorrow morning. I’d suggest you call someone to pick us up.”

“I’ll contact Havoc,” Roy said smoothly, holding a hand out for the bag. “Did you see Edward and Alphonse while you were out?”

“No, sir, but Major Miles said they were back to work. From his observations, they are quote ‘talking back and forth, solving equations and drawing circles at a speed that should be considered impossible’.”

Roy smiled fondly. “They _are_ geniuses after all. I dare say the textbook definition and more.”

 

* * *

 

_“General Mustang’s office. Lieutenant Havoc talkin’.”_

_“Hello, Lieutenant. It would be appreciated if you could come to pick myself, Lieutenant Hawkeye and the Elric brothers at Central Station tomorrow at 9 am sharp. We’re taking the 8.15 train from North City this evening.”_

_“Sure thing, Chief. Whatever happened up there, I’d love to hear it─ there’s been talk around the offi─”_

_“Thank you, Lieutenant. I wish you a pleasant day.”_

Roy hung up and sighed, wondering silently whatever he would tell his team about the impromptu trip to where Ed had headed.

 

* * *

 

“You look positively dead.”

Ed scoffed and pulled at the uniform collar. “Thanks for the compliment. We did just finish a week’s worth of alchemical equations and transmutations, so you can just shut up. Besides, how can one be _positively_ dead? There’s nothing positive about being dead. Bastard.”

Al snorted behind Ed, and Roy looked at him with an amused grin. “You have ink on your nose, Alphonse.”

Ed turned with an exasperated expression. “ _Again?_ How do you do this? There’s no way you _scratch_ your face with the actual pen. That shit _hurts_.”

Al sighed, rummaging around in his bag for a pair of gloves that were … less covered in ink. Roy had by now noticed that there was at least _one_ spot on every pair the younger Elric owned. Maybe he should get him a new pair.

“Boys,” Riza interrupted. “We’re going to miss the train if you don’t stop bickering.

The brothers looked up her as if they were confused to see her. Ed sighed and pulled out the tie from his braid before pulling it up into a messy ponytail, his expression now changing into one of familiar annoyance. “Sure. I just can’t _wait_ to be sitting on an uncomfortable train carriage bench for twelve hours. _Wee._ ”

“ _Brother_ ,” Al chided. “If they annoy you so much, just sit on the General’s lap. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.”

Roy stifled a small laugh with one hand as Ed turned beet-red, grabbed his bag and stomped out of the room while grumbling about ‘evil little brothers that should’ve just stayed in Central so that he wouldn’t have to be hurt very badly’.

Al smiled innocently in Roy’s direction. “What?”

 

* * *

 

The night was spent by Ed curling up by Roy’s side and using Roy’s arm that was wrapped around him to substitute for a pillow. Hawkeye was sitting opposite Roy, reading a book Roy hadn’t been aware she had brought along with her.

“You’re thinking too loudly,” Ed muttered into Roy’s side, earning a small snort from Al, who was sitting next to Riza. “Stop it.”

Roy looked down at him. “Sorry, love. I was just thinking about your gorgeous hair and how I miss seeing the Central summer sun reflect off it─”

“Bullshit,” Ed declared. “You saw it a week ago. By the way you’re thinking, you make it sound like it’s been literal years.”

“It feels like it. It’s not my fault that there are no flattering light sources at Briggs. A man gets deprived of such joys.”

“What kind of joy you perv–”

“Brother, do you have a pen? Mine’s in my bag and I would like to not stand up to grab it if anyone’s got one on their person,” Al said, looking at them intently. He clearly was not being a fan of their bickering.

Roy reached into his pocket, closing his fingers around the pen Madam Christmas had given to him– the one that he had pondered about the last time he had been on a train. He pulled it out and tossed it to Al, who deftly caught it and pulled the cap off before he returned to muttering to himself while reading through what Roy guessed was an alchemy textbook from the Central Library.

Trust the Elric brothers to always keep on one them.

He watched Al reach absentmindedly into his jacket pocket to pull out a pair of reading glasses. He put them onto his face and then flipped the book open to the right page.

“What’re you reading, Al?” Ed muttered sleepily from Roy’s side.

“A book about Mendel’s experiments,” Al said thoughtfully, running his finger across a diagram illustrated in the book. “It doesn’t hurt to go back to the basics every once in a while.”

Ed scoffed. “I’d understand if you needed to just fact-check one thing, but half of what he did was complete bullshit, Al, and you know that.”

“But the rest is ‘mad brilliance’ as you so very nicely put it, Brother.”

Roy smiled and pulled Ed closer to him. “I’d never thought to hear you call anyone but your brother ‘mad brilliant’, Ed. You do continue to surprise me.”

He heard a soft sigh at his side and Roy looked down to find Ed half-asleep. Ah. He pressed a kiss to the crown of Ed’s head and resigned himself to look out of the train window at the rapidly darkening sky.

 

* * *

 

Roy sighed and rubbed his neck, wincing at the tightness of the muscles as the train came to a grinding halt. He looked down at Ed, who was slowly waking up and glaring at the lights above them.

He let Ed stand up before moving and groaned softly as his knee twinged unhappily as he tried to put weight on it. He should probably start moving around more to strengthen it– even after 12 years, a broken knee still made itself known if it was unhappy with any of Roy’s decisions.

He looked over at Riza, who looked exhausted but professionally back at him. “Do you see Lieutenant Havoc anywhere?”

She peeked out of the window to the cramped platform. “Yes, sir. He’s over by the ticket booth.”

“About fucking time,” Ed muttered, bouncing on the balls of his feet restlessly. “I can’t wait to get off this damn train.”

To anyone else, it probably looked like Ed was being antsy from sitting too long in an uncomfortable seat, but Roy saw it. He saw how Ed’s hand was inching towards a pocket where he tended to keep a pack of matches. He likely hadn’t smoked at all since he and Al had left _for_ Briggs.

Roy’s body ached for nicotine in sympathy. He quickly patted one of his pockets, making sure that he did indeed have cigarettes on his person before being the last person to exit the small train carriage.

He stepped down onto the platform and strode over to where Havoc was standing with an unlit cigarette resting in the corner of his mouth.

Behind him, Ed, Al and Hawkeye (who had grabbed their belongings and with them had had a considerably harder time weaving their way through the crowd caught up.

Havoc grinned. “General. Lieutenant. Kids.”

Al huffed, but his expression made it clear that he hadn’t actually been offended by the referral. “Hello, lieutenant. How are you?”

“I don’t mind bein’ out of the office to pick you lot up.” Havoc turned to Hawkeye, expression more grim. “The office’s been in complete disarray since you and the general left by the way. We’re really backlogged on the paperwork since nothin’ can be signed off by anyone but the General.”

Roy sighed as Ed snorted behind him. “Guess I’ll have to come into work later today, then, lieutenant. I think that the four of us could need a few winks of sleep before setting foot in the office – or the library – again, however. Now, where did you park the car, lieutenant?”

He looked down when he felt a rustling in one of his pockets and he met Ed’s eyes as the younger alchemist pulled out his pack of cigarettes, popped one in between his teeth before grabbing the matchbox.

He watched Ed take a long drag with his eyes half-closed in bliss. He was dimly aware of Al freezing where he was standing next to Havoc, looking only a second ago like he was going to fall asleep on the spot. Then his eyes widened just as Ed handed the lit cigarette to Roy, who absently took it.

Al stormed forward and grabbed Ed by the shoulder, making Havoc snicker as he watched the scene unfold in front of him.  Ed turned around, looking like he’d gotten whiplash, but didn’t react to his brother’s surprisingly furious expression.

 “Edward Elric! How dare you do something that so damaging to your health? How long has this been going on?”

Al turned to Roy and Roy felt a small chill run down his spine as he met the cold, angry eyes of Alphonse Elric. “If you’re the one responsible for my brother smoking these cancer sticks…”

He let the threat hang in the air, and Ed sighed, snatching back the cigarette from Roy. “Leave my boyfriend alone, Al. He doesn’t deserve to be harassed before coffee. Do it like– after lunch, right after Hawkeye’s terrorised him with paperwork deadlines or something.”

Havoc sputtered at Ed’s mention of the word ‘boyfriend’, but Roy didn’t spare him more than a smirk before turning around and walking towards where the car was parked.

 

* * *

 

 “And you’re absolutely sure that you want to do this, Ed?”

“Yes, yes, _yes_. We’ve been talking about it for weeks ‘n’ I don’t wanna not go through with it now. And you told me– we don’t have to make it into a big deal as other people do.”

Roy looked down at Ed where he was lying in Roy’s arms, dressed in a loose t-shirt Roy had owned since the dawn of time and a pair of Roy’s boxers. His hair was out of its usual braid or high tail and his eyes were half-lidded but the irises were sharp and clear.

Ed had just entered his second heat and Roy’s brain was slowly short-circuiting with the pheromones clogging up the air. He moved a hand down to rest a thumb against Ed’s soft lips. “You have to tell me if you get uncomfortable though, Ed. I would like to remain alive for a little while longer. Alphonse came up with some rather colourful threats.”

Ed grinned dazedly. “Yeah, that’s Al. He does that.” His expression sharpened a bit. “Yeah. Do it.”

As soon as Ed had spoken his final word of consent, Roy sat up, startling Ed out his comfortable resting spot. He pulled the younger man closer by his shirt and gently slotted their mouths together in a kiss.

Ed sighed contently and let his hands rest on Roy’s thighs. A second later, Roy pulled away and moved the shirt Ed was wearing out of the way so that he could look at where he was going to bite down in only a couple of seconds.

They had agreed several weeks ago that when the next heat hit, they do mate with the bites only and take it from there. Being mated meant that likely, Ed would have less violent reactions to the heats he would find himself in every two or so months as well as keeping his mood more stable in between.

Roy was secretly relieved at the last part, as Ed had gone through periods ranging all over the emotional scale from depressed to elated to positively _volatile_ in the span of fifteen minutes.

He pulled in a deep breath, looked back at Ed’s face for a last nod of consent before pulling Ed’s neck closer and _bit_. Ed let out a gasp that could have been surprise, pain, pleasure or a mix of all three. His hands moved from Roy’s thighs to his hair, to remind himself that even though Roy was the alpha in the relationship, Ed was the one who was _really_ in control.

Seconds later, Roy pulled away, pressing a chaste kiss to Ed’s nose before guiding him down towards Roy’s own neck. Ed, still panting softly, hesitated before whispering, “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Roy stilled. “You won’t. The skin there is designed to not hurt as much when bitten. And even if, I wouldn’t mind.”

Noticing that Ed still wasn’t making a move towards biting, Roy pulled him into a tight hug that Ed seemed to need. He rocked them gently back and forward as he savoured the faint tang of Ed’s blood on his lips, waiting for Ed to pull himself together.

“Okay, I’ll– I can do it now.”

And Ed’s soft lips touched Roy’s neck. One tentative kiss, another, a third, and then– Roy gasped softly as Ed’s teeth dug into the sensitive skin of his neck. Ed was likely drawing blood, judging by the surprised sound he made before greedily pulling Roy closer, into a hug that wanted Roy to just give up on being a human with a skeleton and resign himself to be a jellyfish sprawled into his omega’s embrace.

He felt Ed’s tongue gently lap at the bite mark Ed had created before pulling away. Roy looked up to see Ed’s eyes, clouded with the effects of heat but gleaming like the sun on a cloud free day. It reminded him of the hills he had seen in Resembool– admittedly only on pictures, but the fact remained the same.

“Thank you,” Ed whispered to him before laying down and tugging Roy down with him. Roy smiled and pulled the kicked-away comforter over them. “For what?”

Ed looked away, a soft blush covering his tanned cheeks. “Dunno. For dealing with me? For deciding that I’m important enough to keep around for literally forever even though I’m a brat with a fucked up sense of sexuality? That you don’t think I’m repulsive?”

“I could never find you repulsive, love. And besides, if you weren’t a brat, I don’t think I would have any challenge nor entertainment in my life. Trust me, paperwork doesn’t fit the criteria.”

Ed’s laugh filled the dimmed room and he shimmied closer to Roy, already seeming to be falling asleep. Heat did that. “I love you.”

Roy smiled and pressed a kiss to Ed’s forehead. “I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr: @vampiricalthorns

**Author's Note:**

> I've got a tumblr @vampiricalthorns


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